So, this is kind of a lot of posts this week but, I have a lot of paintings that have been around the studio a while and are finally nearly completed. You can see the unfinished areas on the arms, shoulder and background but, most of the interesting parts are getting pretty close to being finished. I am thinking about stealing the title “An Understanding of Ones Worth” for this piece… or maybe not. Still a lot of decisions to make. In any case, here it is:

This one is pretty large so I think it deserves a few detail shots:

I was not going to post this painting until it was 100% finished but, here it is anyways. Pretty much complete except for adding more flowers in the grass and final touches here and there.

Recently I had my friends from Papercut Magazine over to the studio to shoot photos for their cover. The shoot was a lot of fun and we all got to talking about and fashion and this crazy city that we all live in.

Click on any image to view the full size version on Flickr.

When it was time for the next issue, it seems they did not forget the little people and they revisited me in Studio 11 at The Distillery to sit down and talk again. Read the interview in this months Papercut.

Also, I was featured in last months Poets And Artists Magazine so, if you missed that, be sure to check it out.

Here is a little preview of the painting I am currently working on. I wanted to wait until it was further along to post it but, it has been a few weeks since I have managed to get a post out and I wanted to keep things up to date around here. This one will be in the studio for a while, it is the largest piece yet at 4′x6′. If you want to keep following along with this piece as it comes together, I will post progress shots on Twitter every few days.

I have been recruiting volunteers to sit for my next few paintings and it got me thinking about how some people have reacted to my paintings. When coming face to face with the pieces they often have the same two reactions. They always ask me, “Nick, why I paint the women so ugly? Why do you put in all the wrinkles and pimples, do you hate these girls?” or “Hey, why don’t you ever blend your colors?” Now, when it is just friends and neighbors hanging around the studio, I am pretty quick to shrug these things off, just some friendly criticisms. However, when more and more people start coming to me with the same questions, I figure it is time to answer the questions.

First off, I don’t blend my colors just because, that is the way I paint. I like a painting to stand proud as a painting with its brush strokes in tact. Really. I like paintings that look realistic when you step back but, explode into chaotic energy when you get your nose into them so, that is the type of painting I try to emulate when I am working. Beyond that these two questions have very similar answers.

In this day and age, everywhere you turn, images of beautiful people stare back at you. Portraiture is now run by photography and now the tools have evolved to the point that nearly anyone can get a decent shot, pull it into the computer and tweak their way to a beautiful image. Polished to perfection and plastic-y, every pore photoshopped shut and every wrinkle magically removed. Dead. Boring. Why would I follow this path with my paintings? I like people with character. I like faces that tell a story, punctuated with a scar (I wish I could find more subjects with scars). I am painting people that are beautiful; there is no need to try to improve on them. On the contrary, I want to celebrate the quirks that make them unique. Just like leaving obvious brush strokes on the surface of the painting, step back and all you see is a nice image, get a little closer and all sorts of interesting and beautiful things start to appear.

I think a majority of the people that look at the paintings understand this. I don’t think anyone that has sat for one of the paintings feels that I have shown them in a negative light? No women have ever asked me why I make the girls ugly so, maybe its just a difference in perspective.

So, this is my 100th blog post on NickWardOnline. It has taken forever since I have only posted updates as new paintings develop or I manage to weasel my way into interesting events or shows but here we are at the big 100th post.

To celebrate I am going to make a new print to give away to anyone who reads my site, here or on Facebook notes.

So, it will be a multi-color hand pulled screen print but, the choice of image is yours.

1. another print based on one of the make-up girls paintings.
2. a print based on one of the sunbather girls.
3. an entirely new print, a sneak peak into the next series.

Anyone who wants can leave a comment on my site or on Facebook, or email me with your vote for image choice.

After that, anyone who reads these posts that wants a print can just send me an email letting me know that they want a copy of the print. I will give everyone a few weeks or maybe a month to respond to make sure nobody gets left out, then I will make a run of prints. Then, I will send everyone a hand pulled limited edition screen print.